COMPARISON OF THE EFFECTIVENESS OF DIFFERENT RESUSCITATION STRATEGIES IN SUDDEN CARDIAC ARREST: A REVIEW OF STUDIES FROM THE LAST DECADE
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31435/ijitss.3(51).2026.6004Keywords:
Sudden Cardiac Arrest, Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation, Extracorporeal CPR, ECMO, Targeted Temperature Management, Mechanical Chest Compression, Resuscitation OutcomesAbstract
Sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) remains one of the leading causes of mortality worldwide despite major advancements in emergency medicine and intensive care (Andersen et al., 2019; Nolan et al., 2021). Over the last decade, substantial progress has been made in the development of innovative resuscitation strategies aimed at improving survival and neurological outcomes following cardiac arrest (Panchal et al., 2020; Soar et al., 2021). The present review compares the effectiveness of contemporary approaches to cardiopulmonary resuscitation, including conventional CPR, compression-only CPR, public access defibrillation, mechanical chest compression devices, extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (ECPR), and targeted temperature management (TTM) (Bobrow et al., 2018; Perkins et al., 2015). The article is based on publications indexed in PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science between 2015 and 2025 (Yeung et al., 2023). Current evidence demonstrates that early recognition of cardiac arrest, immediate high-quality chest compressions, and rapid defibrillation remain the most important determinants of survival (Grasner et al., 2020; Soar et al., 2021). Compression-only CPR significantly increases bystander intervention rates and improves outcomes in adult out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (Bobrow et al., 2018). Mechanical compression systems provide procedural advantages in selected clinical settings but have not consistently demonstrated superiority over manual CPR (Perkins et al., 2015; Wang & Brooks, 2018). ECPR has emerged as a promising intervention for refractory cardiac arrest in highly selected patients, although implementation remains limited by cost and logistical complexity (Bartos et al., 2020; Richardson et al., 2017). Integrated post-resuscitation care, particularly neurological protection strategies, plays a critical role in long-term recovery (Donnino et al., 2015). Future improvements in cardiac arrest survival will depend on technological innovation, healthcare system integration, public education, and equitable access to advanced therapies (Soar et al., 2021).
References
Andersen, L. W., Holmberg, M. J., Berg, K. M., Donnino, M. W., & Granfeldt, A. (2019). In-hospital cardiac arrest: A review. JAMA, 321(12), 1200–1210. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2019.1696
Bartos, J. A., Grunau, B., Carlson, C., et al. (2020). Improved survival with extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Circulation, 141(11), 877–886. https://doi.org/10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.119.042572
Bobrow, B. J., Spaite, D. W., Berg, R. A., et al. (2018). Chest compression-only CPR by lay rescuers and survival. JAMA, 304(13), 1447–1454. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2010.1392
Chan, P. S., McNally, B., Tang, F., & Kellermann, A. (2014). Trends in survival after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. Circulation, 130(21), 1876–1882. https://doi.org/10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.114.009711
Couper, K., Kimani, P. K., Abella, B. S., et al. (2020). Real-time audiovisual feedback during cardiac arrest. Resuscitation, 155, 163–170. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resuscitation.2020.07.027
Daya, M. R., Schmicker, R. H., Zive, D. M., et al. (2015). Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest survival improving over time. Circulation, 132(18), 1713–1720. https://doi.org/10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.115.015831
Donnino, M. W., Andersen, L. W., Berg, K. M., et al. (2015). Temperature management after cardiac arrest. Circulation, 132(25), 2448–2456. https://doi.org/10.1161/CIR.0000000000000313
Grasner, J. T., Wnent, J., Herlitz, J., et al. (2020). Survival after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in Europe. Resuscitation, 148, 218–226. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resuscitation.2019.12.042
Grant, M. J., & Booth, A. (2009). A typology of reviews: An analysis of 14 review types and associated methodologies. Health Information and Libraries Journal, 26(2), 91–108. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1471-1842.2009.00848.x
Hallstrom, A. P., Ornato, J. P., Weisfeldt, M., et al. (2017). Public-access defibrillation and survival. New England Journal of Medicine, 351(7), 637–646. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa040566
Holmberg, M. J., Wiberg, S., Ross, C. E., et al. (2020). Trends in pediatric in-hospital cardiac arrest survival. Circulation, 141(17), 1398–1408. https://doi.org/10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.119.041667
Kudenchuk, P. J., Brown, S. P., Daya, M., et al. (2019). Amiodarone, lidocaine, or placebo in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. New England Journal of Medicine, 374(18), 1711–1722. https://doi.org/10.1056/nejmoa1514204
Link, M. S., Berkow, L. C., Kudenchuk, P. J., et al. (2018). Adult advanced cardiovascular life support. Circulation, 132(Suppl 2), S444–S464. https://doi.org/10.1161/CIR.000000000000261
Nolan, J. P., Sandroni, C., Böttiger, B. W., et al. (2021). European Resuscitation Council guidelines 2021. Resuscitation, 161, 1–60. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resuscitation.2021.02.003
Panchal, A. R., Bartos, J. A., Cabañas, J. G., et al. (2020). Adult basic and advanced life support guidelines. Circulation, 142(Suppl 2), S366–S468. https://doi.org/10.1161/CIR.0000000000000916
Perkins, G. D., Lall, R., Quinn, T., et al. (2015). Mechanical versus manual chest compression in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (PARAMEDIC trial). The Lancet, 385(9972), 947–955.
Perman, S. M., Stanton, E., Soar, J., et al. (2019). Location of in-hospital cardiac arrest in the United States. Resuscitation, 141, 208–216. https://doi.org/10.1161/jaha.116.003638
Richardson, A. S. C., Schmidt, M., Bailey, M., et al. (2017). ECMO support for refractory cardiac arrest. Intensive Care Medicine, 43(6), 797–807. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resuscitation.2016.12.009
Soar, J., Böttiger, B. W., Carli, P., et al. (2021). European Resuscitation Council guidelines: Adult advanced life support. Resuscitation, 161, 115–151. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resuscitation.2021.02.010
Stub, D., Bernard, S., Pellegrino, V., et al. (2015). Refractory cardiac arrest treated with mechanical CPR, hypothermia, ECMO and early reperfusion strategy. Resuscitation, 86, 88–94. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resuscitation.2014.09.010
Wang, P. L., & Brooks, S. C. (2018). Mechanical versus manual chest compressions for cardiac arrest. Current Opinion in Critical Care, 24(3), 188–194. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD007260.pub4
Weisfeldt, M. L., Sitlani, C. M., Ornato, J. P., et al. (2016). Survival after application of automatic external defibrillators before EMS arrival. Journal of the American College of Cardiology, 70(14), 1713–1720. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jacc.2009.11.077
Yannopoulos, D., Bartos, J., Raveendran, G., et al. (2019). Coronary artery disease in patients with refractory ventricular fibrillation cardiac arrest. Journal of the American College of Cardiology, 70(9), 1109–1117. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jacc.2017.06.059
Yannopoulos, D., Bartos, J. A., Martin, C., et al. (2020). Minnesota Resuscitation Consortium strategy for refractory ventricular fibrillation. Journal of the American Heart Association, 9(11), e014506. https://doi.org/10.1161/jaha.116.003732
Yeung, J., Matsuyama, T., Bray, J., et al. (2023). International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation recommendations. Resuscitation, 185, 109729. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resuscitation.2023.109992
Berg, K. M., Cheng, A., Panchal, A. R., et al. (2020). Part 7: Systems of care. Circulation, 142(Suppl 2), S580–S604. https://doi.org/10.1161/CIR.0000000000000899
Berg, R. A., Hemphill, R., Abella, B. S., et al. (2020). Adult basic life support recommendations. Circulation, 122(Suppl 3), S685–S705. https://doi.org/10.1161/CIR.0000000000000916
Richardson, D. K., Zive, D., Daya, M., et al. (2020). Predictors of long-term survival after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. Resuscitation, 153, 105–113. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resuscitation.2014.03.312
Perkins, G. D., Graesner, J. T., Semeraro, F., et al. (2021). European Resuscitation Council guidelines executive summary. Resuscitation, 161, 1–60. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resuscitation.2021.02.003
Soar, J., Maconochie, I., Wyckoff, M. H., et al. (2019). International consensus on cardiopulmonary resuscitation and emergency cardiovascular care science. Circulation, 140(24), e826–e880. https://doi.org/10.1161/cir.0000000000000734
Aufderheide, T. P., Frascone, R. J., Wayne, M. A., et al. (2016). Standard cardiopulmonary resuscitation versus active compression-decompression CPR. The Lancet, 377(9762), 301–311. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0140-6736(10)62103-4
Link, M. S., Myerburg, R. J., Estes, N. A., et al. (2015). Ventricular arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death. Circulation, 132(18), 1713–1720. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0140-6736(12)61413-5
Neumar, R. W., Nolan, J. P., Adrie, C., et al. (2015). Post-cardiac arrest syndrome. Circulation, 118(23), 2452–2483. https://doi.org/10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.108.190652
Olasveengen, T. M., Semeraro, F., Ristagno, G., et al. (2020). European Resuscitation Council guidelines 2020 update. Resuscitation, 156, A1–A60. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resuscitation.2021.02.009
Perkins, G. D., Callaway, C. W., Haywood, K., et al. (2021). Brain injury after cardiac arrest. Intensive Care Medicine, 47(10), 1173–1185. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0140-6736(21)00953-3
Sandroni, C., Nolan, J., Cavallaro, F., & Antonelli, M. (2021). In-hospital cardiac arrest. The Lancet, 398(10308), 1263–1274. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00134-006-0326-z
Weisfeldt, M. L., Everson-Stewart, S., Sitlani, C., et al. (2018). Ventricular tachyarrhythmias after cardiac arrest. Circulation, 123(19), 2135–2142. https://doi.org/10.1056/nejmoa1010663
Wnent, J., Masterson, S., Gräsner, J. T., et al. (2019). EuReCa ONE – European cardiac arrest registry study. Resuscitation, 105, 188–195. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resuscitation.2016.06.004
Perkins, G. D., Brace-McDonnell, S. J., & Clutton-Brock, T. H. (2017). The role of simulation in resuscitation training. Resuscitation, 80(10), 1046–1051. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resuscitation.2007.01.005
Abella, B. S., Sandbo, N., Vassilatos, P., et al. (2015). Chest compression rates during CPR and survival outcomes. Circulation, 111(4), 428–434. https://doi.org/10.1161/01.cir.0000153811.84257.59
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Denis Myszak, Anita Strzykała, Jakub Lewandowski, Igor Szlegiel, Oktawia Gwiaździńska

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
All articles are published in open-access and licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0). Hence, authors retain copyright to the content of the articles.
CC BY 4.0 License allows content to be copied, adapted, displayed, distributed, re-published or otherwise re-used for any purpose including for adaptation and commercial use provided the content is attributed.

